


In The Flickering Light

by volleyowlets



Series: Avatar AU [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Gen, Leaving Home, Light Angst, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:06:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7474425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/volleyowlets/pseuds/volleyowlets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I love you, Mum," he mumbled.<br/>He wouldn't cry, that was just a sign of weakness that he couldn't afford to have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Flickering Light

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank AO3 user yeol for beta-reading this fic! She's an angel and so easy to work with. It's so refreshing to have someone like her around.  
> I'd also like to thank @purseowner on twitter for yelling with me abt my ideas and generally helping me out with flattening ideas out!!  
> This is part 2 in my Avatar AU series, and although it may be read as a stand alone, if you wish to read further advancements, it may be beneficial to read the first part afterward (or before).  
> Feel free to come talk to me about this AU at volleyowlets on tumblr!

The Fire Nation home was near silent, the stroke of Oikawa's brush against paper the only sound that could be heard. The flicker of the lamp on his bedside table was the sole source of light in the house as the night crept on and his family slept peacefully in the rooms down the hall. He was writing a letter for them that, though cowardly, he felt needed to be written before he left the house, possibly forever.

It wasn't as though his mother had done anything wrong, though it was her mistake that had put him in this situation. No, he was writing this letter in spite of the man who had made his life difficult for his first eighteen years of his existence. The man who he had called 'father' for as long as he'd been able to talk. There had been no reason for the man to treat him in such a poor manner, not that Oikawa had been aware of until recently at least.

Of course, the man hadn't been as horrible as he could have been. He'd sent Oikawa to the best Fire Nation school he could have, though Oikawa himself had never felt a deep connection with any of his peers. He still had friends; Kuroo and Hanamaki had been the best friends he could've asked for throughout his school years, but they were both firebenders - and he was most definitely not a firebender.

At the age of seventeen, he'd been doing his homework when he'd tripped and nearly dropped a full glass of water over his paper. Nearly. The water had stopped, hovering just inches from his paper as his hands were outstretched to stop it from falling. In his shock the water had fallen to the paper, but that had been the least of Oikawa's worries at the time.

It had taken a lot of time and patience following that occurrence for him to confirm his suspicions. He was a waterbender, by some chance. Waterbenders weren't allowed in the Fire Nation though, at least not allowed to be walking freely. If anyone were to find out about his ability he'd be sentenced to imprisonment for life at the very least. It was better that no one found out.

In secret, he began to search library after library, for information that would help him get a grip on waterbending. It took him a year to perfect the basics, and in the three months following that he'd managed to become proficient in the much more difficult movements before he'd made any attempt to tell his parents about the discovery.

That hadn't gone over well.

He wasn't stupid, he knew that in order for him to be able to waterbend he had to have some Water Tribe blood in him, but he'd hoped that his parents would be proud of him anyway. His father hadn't liked it at all though. He'd been disgusted, and Oikawa still had nightmares of the look of terror in his mothers eyes when the firebender of the family had turned on her.

He'd learnt the hard way that his father wasn't his father by blood; that his mother had had an affair with a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe whilst on a business trip to negotiate trade. Since then, his 'father' had only treated him worse.

It had been because of this that he'd decided he wanted to have no part in the war that had raged on for years already. He wished he could've sent a hawk to Hanamaki or Kuroo, on the front line of the Fire Nation army's defense since they'd graduated 5 months ago, but he had no idea how they'd react. They'd been brought up in the same society he had, and the beliefs of the Fire Nation and their superiority was something that affected everyone. No, he was alone in this.

Light brown hair fell in Oikawa's face as he continued to write about his stresses on the paper. He could only hope that his mother would understand; that she wouldn't be angry when she woke up and found him gone with only a letter to tell her of his whereabouts.

_I never meant to come between you and him, Mum. I know that this is the most cowardly thing I could've done, but I need answers. I have so many questions about my heritage, and I want to meet my real father. I'm going to leave the Fire Nation, and I'm going to find the Southern Water Tribe. It's better than staying here anyway._

_Staying here would only make both our lives more difficult, Mum. At least this way we can both start over. I won't say that I'll be safe, because we both know how the Fire Nation treats other benders, but I'll try._

_There's nothing I want more than for you to be happy, and if nothing else, please try to be happy while I'm gone. I know it's not going to be easy on you, you spent so many hours raising me to be a decent human being, teaching me the ways to address those of higher status than me, I'm sure it'll all come in useful while I'm away. You've done the best you could, and I don't blame you for how I was treated by your husband._

_I love you mum, and I'm sorry. I hope I can see you again one day._

_Oikawa Tooru_

The wooden handle of his brush knocked loudly against the side of his ink pot as he finished, signing his name with a final stroke. He took a deep breath as he glanced around his bedroom. He knew this had to be done. He had to leave the Fire Nation if he wanted to live for the rest of his life in relative peace, and if he could get answers about his abilities, then he was going to chase every opportunity he got.

Leaving his letter to dry on his desk, Oikawa stood from his chair and looked around to find his old satchel. It would fit enough supplies to get him away from this part of the Fire Nation before he would need to restock in a village further South.

It didn't take him long to roll some clothes up and pack food into the bag. By the time he was throwing a pouch of money into the satchel, his letter was completely dry. He rolled the paper up like a scroll, exiting his bedroom quietly and creeping into the room his mother slept on peacefully within.

He stood beside the bed quietly, a sharp stab of pain shooting through his heart at the thought of leaving her. He kissed her cheek before leaving the letter on his mother's bedside table and returning to the door. "I love you, Mum," he mumbled, tears forming in his eyes as he closed the door. He wouldn't cry.

He made his way back to his bedroom, picking up his satchel from where it lay on his bed, and glanced around the room one last time. Who knew if he'd ever return to this place. With a final huff of breath, Oikawa turned on his heel, wandering through the house until he reached the front door and snuck out into the dark night.


End file.
